Too many choices... S4 vs HTC One vs LG G2 vs Note 3... (Verizon) .. Can't decide which one!

[Powerplaygraphix]

I posted this in "the Lounge" but then I realized most of these types of discussions are in here so I'm reposting it here.

I'm getting ready to try and upgrade my Verizon Gnex and I can't decide which one to go with. All have their pluses and minuses and I can't decide which pluses I like better than which minuses. Since Verizon probably WON'T get another Nexus device anytime soon I'm looking at the other top contenders and I'm REALLY torn as to which I like better.

HTC One: I really like the physical build quality of the One but I'm not sold on the "Ultra-Pixel" camera. Sense 5 isn't really a selling point or killer for me since I typically wind up using Nova. As fast as it is, some of the other contenders are faster. The screen on it is not bad but not outstanding either. All the ones I'm looking at are 1920 x 1080, it's just a matter of whether I like the IPS or AMOLED. Another plus on the One are the Speakers. I spend a lot of time listening to my phone at work so the stereo forward facing speakers are pretty cool.

S4: I like some of the features of the camera on this but not enough to sway the decision, It's 13mp but the video doesn't look like it's all that great. Not a fan of touchwiz but again I'll probably use Nova. It's a little faster than the One but the plastic cheap feel of it is really annoying. It seems to get overall good reviews from it's owners.

LG G2: I'll be honest, when it was announced I didn't pay it much attention but when I thought about getting a new phone, the sales guy brought it up when I started talking specs and numbers. I played with the one in the store and was really impressed with how responsive that Snapdragon 800 was. Wow. The screen was really nice as well. Of all of them, the IPS display seems to be the truest for color and best for viewing in all light levels. The LG skin isn't repulsive but it's not something that blew me away either, although their take on multitasking and the "knock-on" feature are pretty nice. The camera is a 13 mp shooter with Optical Image Stabilization that is getting some considerable praise. The biggest drawback to the G2 for me is similar to the S4, the cheap "feel" of the phone. I actually kind of like the position of the buttons being on the back but it would take some getting used to. Also, the battery life seems to be incredible on it.

Note 3: Since it's not out yet, no real world reviews yet but the specs on it look impressive. Coming with 4.3 is appealing. Being a designer and using a Wacom stylus all the time, the pressure sensitive stylus is tempting and since they've got it to a true HD resolution, it's even more so. Samsung has at least gotten rid of the smooth, shiny plastic but I'm not sure if the faux leather texture is really appealing or not. HTC one still has the best physical construction of the bunch. I've played with other Note phones and I'm not sure if I think they are too big or not.

Kind of funny, even though I'm a graphic designer and swear by Mac OS on the desktop, for me, iOS is kind of underwhelming and restrictive. I like the speed of the new 64 bit A7 that seems to be SMOKING even the newest Android phones and the new flash and camera are pretty impressive but I just don't have any desire to go over to the iPhone crowd.

If only I could get the G2 Screen and battery life with with the processor and flash of the iPhone 5s and the metal build and speakers of the One, the pressure sensitive stylus of the Note 3 while running 4.3 without any of the bloatware and goofy skins I'd be set!

 

[clemson77on]

I just upgraded from the GNEX as well and I chose the HTC One. So far, I'm very impressed. My GNEX was rooted and I had become almost addicted to flashing new ROMs and kernels but I never even came close to the smoothness and performance of the One. The screen is great, the camera is better than the GNEX (still learning the Zoe, but like what I see). I'm still working on getting the most battery life possible. Through custom kernels and Tasker, I increased the battery life in my GNEX tremendously over stock. The ONE seems to match that level at least, especially when using the phone. Standby is about the same. Also, my data and cell signal is MUCH better. I can't speak for the other phones, but this phone rocks.

 

[badams1]

I can only speak to the HTC One becuase thats what I have...but its a fantastic device.

Ive had mine since May 1st and its the first Android phone I haven't immediatly rooted. It just works so well right out of the box I didn't see the need. It should also be recieving android 4.3 in the very near future.

This is my 3rd android phone since defecting from the "iSide" in 2010. Ive had an HTC Inspire, a Galaxy S2, and now the HTC One...its by far the best phone ive ever owned.

Truthfully...you probably can't go wrong with any of the phones on your list. For me personally, the G2 and the Note are just too big for my tastes. Comparing the One and the S4 in the store made the choice easy for me...the One was just notch better in almost every way imho.

 

[Powerplaygraphix]

I went and played with the G2, the S4 and HTC One and actually, the G2 FEELS a little smaller even thought the screen is larger. They have been able to trim SO much of the bezel off the G2, the body of it and the S4 are almost identical in size.

 

[taylorz_412]

The g2 looks great on paper but lgs software really Is just terrible. I have the HTC one and could not be happier. The build quality, great camera, no lag whatsoever in sense 5 or nova launcher, solid battery life, amazing screen, the list goes on and on this phone is solid and I completely recommend it to anyone

Sent from my HTC6500LVW using Tapatalk 2

 

[Powerplaygraphix]

Went back by the Verizon store and it's still just as hard to decide. Sheesh.

 

[Mosov]

I have Nexus 4 and am very happy with it, though one drawback is that it doesn't support LTE, though the speeds are still very good (at&t). If not, I'd go with Moto X since it too has a pure android experience. In all, go with the phone that has the purest android experience.

 

[Powerplaygraphix]

I'd love to get a new Nexus but, unfortunately, Verizon won't be getting another one any time soon and even with my Gnex, Verizon has been WAY behind everyone else on rolling the updates out. If I wasn't still grandfathered ni to the Unlimited plan, I might change but that's not an option right now. From what I'm seeing on the speculation on the Nexus 5, it's the G2 "clean". I may wait and see, since that's they are essentially the same phone, if they MIGHT bring it to Verizon too but I have a feeling they won't.

 

[kylie brown]

If it's about me I would for sure go for HTC One....... Its the best smartphone... I don't see any choices when it's there

 

[RyanMXA]

If it's about me I would for sure go for HTC One....... Its the best smartphone... I don't see any choices when it's there

Another one here.

Sent from The One

 

[Powerplaygraphix]

Well, this weekend, with the excitement over the unplanned Verizon "Glitch Sale" I decided to make my choice and picked the LG G2. Just the overall power, speed, camera, screen and everything else really just blew me away when I played with them in the stores. The Podcast put the nail in it. I should get the phone later this week. Hope everything goes okay activating it. Thanks for all your feedback! I'll post my opinions next week after I play with it more!

 

[mayconvert]

it's great to get some legit pros and cons from people, but don't let people sway you by saying things like "LG software is Terrible"
The same can be said for Sense 5, or TouchWiz. LG make some solid phones. Every LG phone I have had has been really good (on AT&T)
The one may be aluminum but I have seen post where speaker grills just fall in while in peoples pockets and letters falling/peeling off the back.
The S4 might feel like a cheap fisher price toy to some, to me, it felt pretty good in the hand. But, TouchWiz can be awesome to one person, and "Terrible" to the next. Personally, I like TW.
The S4 camera might be the best camera ever put on a phone. The LG screens, Can't be beat. (HTC one is a Very close 2nd)
The HTC sound, can't be beat. LG G2 2nd best sound (speakers are on bottom edge, like iPhone, not on the back of the device throwing sound AWAY from you like on the S4.

I will leave the Note 3 out because to me, the device is WAY too large and I think the S pen is a useless gimmick for 9 of 10 people, something I would almost Never use. - see there? personal Opinion. I think its a stupid gimmick, others thinks its the coolest thing ever....
The S4 has lag issue, the LG and HTC doesn't. (anyone that tells you the S4 doesn't is blind or lying, or they rooted it and took away all bloatware and gimmicky TW software.)
I can see the 4.3 on the Note being a good thing since it takes any android devices months or years to get a single update. But, if 4.1 or 4.2 takes care of your needs, does it matter?
I text, facebook, G+, surf the web, take some pictures and use the calendar app a lot. Any 4.1 or better will do all that will flying colors.

So yes, there are pros and cons to ALL those choices. But don't let one persons "terrible" be terrible to you.

 

[stalemate1]

I posted this in "the Lounge" but then I realized most of these types of discussions are in here so I'm reposting it here.

I'm getting ready to try and upgrade my Verizon Gnex and I can't decide which one to go with. All have their pluses and minuses and I can't decide which pluses I like better than which minuses. Since Verizon probably WON'T get another Nexus device anytime soon I'm looking at the other top contenders and I'm REALLY torn as to which I like better.

HTC One: I really like the physical build quality of the One but I'm not sold on the "Ultra-Pixel" camera. Sense 5 isn't really a selling point or killer for me since I typically wind up using Nova. As fast as it is, some of the other contenders are faster. The screen on it is not bad but not outstanding either. All the ones I'm looking at are 1920 x 1080, it's just a matter of whether I like the IPS or AMOLED. Another plus on the One are the Speakers. I spend a lot of time listening to my phone at work so the stereo forward facing speakers are pretty cool.

S4: I like some of the features of the camera on this but not enough to sway the decision, It's 13mp but the video doesn't look like it's all that great. Not a fan of touchwiz but again I'll probably use Nova. It's a little faster than the One but the plastic cheap feel of it is really annoying. It seems to get overall good reviews from it's owners.

LG G2: I'll be honest, when it was announced I didn't pay it much attention but when I thought about getting a new phone, the sales guy brought it up when I started talking specs and numbers. I played with the one in the store and was really impressed with how responsive that Snapdragon 800 was. Wow. The screen was really nice as well. Of all of them, the IPS display seems to be the truest for color and best for viewing in all light levels. The LG skin isn't repulsive but it's not something that blew me away either, although their take on multitasking and the "knock-on" feature are pretty nice. The camera is a 13 mp shooter with Optical Image Stabilization that is getting some considerable praise. The biggest drawback to the G2 for me is similar to the S4, the cheap "feel" of the phone. I actually kind of like the position of the buttons being on the back but it would take some getting used to. Also, the battery life seems to be incredible on it.

Note 3: Since it's not out yet, no real world reviews yet but the specs on it look impressive. Coming with 4.3 is appealing. Being a designer and using a Wacom stylus all the time, the pressure sensitive stylus is tempting and since they've got it to a true HD resolution, it's even more so. Samsung has at least gotten rid of the smooth, shiny plastic but I'm not sure if the faux leather texture is really appealing or not. HTC one still has the best physical construction of the bunch. I've played with other Note phones and I'm not sure if I think they are too big or not.

Kind of funny, even though I'm a graphic designer and swear by Mac OS on the desktop, for me, iOS is kind of underwhelming and restrictive. I like the speed of the new 64 bit A7 that seems to be SMOKING even the newest Android phones and the new flash and camera are pretty impressive but I just don't have any desire to go over to the iPhone crowd.

If only I could get the G2 Screen and battery life with with the processor and flash of the iPhone 5s and the metal build and speakers of the One, the pressure sensitive stylus of the Note 3 while running 4.3 without any of the bloatware and goofy skins I'd be set!

Could I also recommend the

#Sony xperia Z1

# moto X

I personally would choose the LG G2.

It's the most comfortable one handed use device with a screen that large. Also has the most practical features. See this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PssoKusnhIs&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Any note is far to big for my tastes.

Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using Mobile Nations mobile app

 

[ne0ne]

HTC one has the most pixel Dense screen, and frankly the best Imo.

The s4 isn't bad however i would have to run stock android on it.

LG g2 has the best camera hands Down. Jerry just said if he were buying a phone solely for the camera, it would be the g2.

Note 3 is a bit large.


One thing I didn't see on the list, Moto X.... Any particular reason you didn't consider it ?

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2

 

[mhettrich]

I would also recommend the Moto X. I have so far tried the GS4, HTC One, and now the Moto X. I too had a Galaxy Nexus at one point and loved it. Out of all the Android phones I have tried, the Moto X is the best I've owned by far. That being said, I have been tempted to try the Note 3 also. So many good choices these days, it's a good problem to have.

 

[Powerplaygraphix]

Sorry, meant to come back here and give my decision. I chose the G2. When the "Glitch Sale" hit I made the decision to go with the G2, thanks in large part, to the G2 Podcast Jerry and Andrew did. I don't regret it. I LOVE THIS PHONE. Even the LG software, after changing some of the default settings, is actually pretty good. The buttons on the back work for me and help make the 5.2" screen a lot more small-hand friendly. I can reach every corner of it in one hand use thanks to the almsot non-existant bezels. The Knock on is awesome, the screen is gorgeous and the phone is just blisteringly fast! I even like the keyboard. I use the swiping functionality (big fan of SWYPE) rather than swype because I like that it has the number row on it ( Hey, SWYPE, add a number row to larger phones please!). The camera rocks and the sound is really to notch. The radio in it has a LOT stronger signal than my GNEX and I almost never lose reception, even in my apartment where I used to only be able to use my phone by the window. I WHOLE HEARTEDLY recommend this phone to anyone. Even the bloatware can at least be disabled and hidden (would rather it be able to be uninstalled all together but that's a Verizon thing not a G2 thing). My only real complaint is the back of the phone. Slick as ice. I got the Verizon OEM shell/holster and use it without the holster. Makes it much easier to grip and doesn't add any real bulk to it. Kickstand works great in vertical or horizontal mode and helps create a great handle to slide a finger through to help hold it very securely for one handed use. Yeah, LG puts a lot of cheese on it but you can turn most of it off and have a killer interface with some really cool functionality. I typically run Nova Prime but I don't really have any desire to install it right now because this interface is just as versatile.

 

[stalemate1]

Sorry, meant to come back here and give my decision. I chose the G2. When the "Glitch Sale" hit I made the decision to go with the G2, thanks in large part, to the G2 Podcast Jerry and Andrew did. I don't regret it. I LOVE THIS PHONE. Even the LG software, after changing some of the default settings, is actually pretty good. The buttons on the back work for me and help make the 5.2" screen a lot more small-hand friendly. I can reach every corner of it in one hand use thanks to the almsot non-existant bezels. The Knock on is awesome, the screen is gorgeous and the phone is just blisteringly fast! I even like the keyboard. I use the swiping functionality (big fan of SWYPE) rather than swype because I like that it has the number row on it ( Hey, SWYPE, add a number row to larger phones please!). The camera rocks and the sound is really to notch. The radio in it has a LOT stronger signal than my GNEX and I almost never lose reception, even in my apartment where I used to only be able to use my phone by the window. I WHOLE HEARTEDLY recommend this phone to anyone. Even the bloatware can at least be disabled and hidden (would rather it be able to be uninstalled all together but that's a Verizon thing not a G2 thing). My only real complaint is the back of the phone. Slick as ice. I got the Verizon OEM shell/holster and use it without the holster. Makes it much easier to grip and doesn't add any real bulk to it. Kickstand works great in vertical or horizontal mode and helps create a great handle to slide a finger through to help hold it very securely for one handed use. Yeah, LG puts a lot of cheese on it but you can turn most of it off and have a killer interface with some really cool functionality. I typically run Nova Prime but I don't really have any desire to install it right now because this interface is just as versatile.

Excellent choice!...couldn't have chosen better myself

Have you tried/used the G2's 3D panorama live wallpaper ? (its in the live wallpaper menu) what do you think of it ?

Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using Mobile Nations mobile app

 

[Powerplaygraphix]

Excellent choice!...couldn't have chosen better myself

Have you tried/used the G2's 3D panorama live wallpaper ? (its in the live wallpaper menu) what do you think of it ?

Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using Mobile Nations mobile app

I don't see it? Is it on the Verizon model?

 

[stalemate1]

Yes, it comes standard on the verizon model. Which model do you have ?

Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using Mobile Nations mobile app

 

[stalemate1]

I don't see it? Is it on the Verizon model?

Sorry I had to get naming right...um...so yeah...

As bad or immature as it sounds...how do you like the polar bear live wallpaper ?

(yes, this is exactly what I was referring to, you have to apply it and scroll across your home screens to see the 3D effect.)

So the correct question was: what do you think of the polar bear live wallpaper ? (My intentions are not to be a pest-you are more than welcome not to answer, sorry if I irritate you)...ok yeah...I feel a little foolish for making this such a goose Chase. :what:

Sent from my HTC EVO 3D X515m using Mobile Nations mobile app